Hillsborough County, FL Fire Regulations: Outdoor Burning (2026)
Outdoor burning rules in Hillsborough County, FL, also called the burn ban, open burning, or fire restriction ordinance, set when you can burn yard waste, debris, or run a recreational fire.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- County Environmental Protection Act, § 13
- Civil penalty
- Up to $5,000 per offense
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor, F.S. § 775.08
- Recreational exception
- Campfires OK if no nuisance
- Enforced by
- EPC environmental director
Summary
Hillsborough County bans open burning countywide except for a short list of exemptions, noncommercial cooking or recreational campfires, ceremonial fires, official weed-abatement burns, and firefighting-instruction fires, under the county's Environmental Protection Act.
No person shall ignite, cause to be ignited, permit to be ignited or suffer, allow or maintain any open burning except:
(1) Fires or campfires used only for noncommercial preparation of food, for recreational purposes, for ceremonial occasions, or on cold days for warming of outdoor workers, as long as a nuisance is not created.
(2) Any fire set or permitted by any public officer in the performance of official duty, if such fire is set or permission given for the purpose of weed abatement, the prevention of a fire hazard, including the disposal of dangerous materials where there is no safe alternate method of disposal, or in the instruction of public employees in the methods of fighting fires, which fire is, in the opinion of such official, necessary.
(3) Fires set for the purpose of instruction in the methods of fighting fires, provided prior permission has been granted by a public officer in the performance of official duty.
(4) Fires otherwise permitted by rule of the commission. (Laws of Fla. Ch. 87-495, § 1)
Full Breakdown
Section 13 of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Act makes it unlawful to ignite, permit, or maintain any open burning in the county. Only four categories are exempt: noncommercial cooking, recreational, or ceremonial fires and cold-day warming fires that don't create a nuisance; fires set by a public officer for weed abatement or hazard removal; firefighting-instruction fires with prior permission from a public officer; and fires the Environmental Protection Commission separately authorizes by rule. The Environmental Protection Commission's environmental director enforces the ban and can issue a cease citation to anyone burning outside these exceptions.
Violations & Fines
Violating the open-burning ban is a misdemeanor under F.S. § 775.08 and draws a citation from the environmental director; civil penalties run up to $5,000 per offense, with each day a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have a campfire in my backyard in Hillsborough County?
What counts as illegal open burning in unincorporated Hillsborough County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hillsborough County
How Hillsborough County compares: Cities with the Strictest Outdoor Burning Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Hillsborough County to another location·View the Florida fire regulations overview
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